Georgia Republicans have a KKK problem

First, Georgia state Representative Tommy Benton (R-Jefferson) defended the Ku Klux Klan earlier this year, saying that the Klan “wasn’t so much a racist thing” and “made a lot of people straighten up.”

Then Sen. Greg Kirk (R-Americus), while debating his bill that would allow religious groups to discriminate against gays and lesbians, admitted that the KKK could take advantage of his legislation and compared the Klan to the Black Panthers.

And finally Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner for President and the favorite to win the GOP primary in Georgia tomorrow, refused to condemn the KKK last week after earning the endorsement of one of their most prominent members.

His position set off a media firestorm. Reporters started talking about “Trump’s Klan problem.”

But in reality, supporting the KKK is not just a “Trump” problem.

Keep in mind that Donald Trump has the endorsement of a former chair of the Georgia Republican party and at least two state lawmakers: Sen. Burt Jones (R-Jackson) and Sen. Michael Williams (R-Cumming).

Georgia Republicans have a KKK problem. And they’re not doing very much to fix it.

After recent racial strife across the country, now is the perfect time for Georgia Republicans to evolve on this issue. Instead, elected leaders who are running our state are embracing a revisionist narrative by standing up for a known hate group.

Why?

Because they’re afraid of losing friends, voters and donors who really do believe that the KKK was (and is) doing the right thing. Conservatives in Georgia have gained a lot of power over the years by using the hate that the KKK has marketed, and they don’t want to lose that power, even now.

This is unacceptable. No Georgia lawmaker should have any problem condemning the Ku Klux Klan or calling out candidates like Trump on their comments. And if these elected leaders really do lose support by doing so, well, some things are worth losing for.